What plastic surgeons want you to know about selfies

Portrait A is taken at 12 inches; portrait B, at 60 inches. (Courtesy Boris Paskhover)

Many smartphones have amazing cameras, but research shows that “selfies” can alter how people look, and there's concern that that could be impacting an entire generation's self-image.

WASHINGTON — Many smartphones have amazing cameras, but research shows that “selfies” can alter how people look, and there’s concern that that could be impacting an entire generation’s self-image.

“If you see yourself in a selfie — it’s distorted,” said Rutgers University facial plastics and reconstructive surgeon Boris Paskhover.

Researchers at Rutgers and Stanford developed a mathematical formula that shows a selfie taken about 12 inches from your face makes the tip of your nose appear an average of 7 percent wider, and the nasal base 30 percent wider, than a photo taken from 5 feet away.